• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
• /
• 제64권4호
• /
• pp.383-389
• /
• 2021

비만은 숙주의 전신 염증 및 대사 기능 장애에 기여하는 장 상피 장벽 기능 저하와 관련이 있다. 한국의 전통 식품으로 식이섬유가 풍부한 콩 제품은 항염증 반응을 비롯한 다양한 생물학적 활성을 나타내어 왔으나 대장 건강에 대해서는 보고된 바가 없다. 본 연구에서는 고지방 식이(HFD)를 섭취한 비만 모델에서 콩(CSB)에 대한 장 건강 증진 효과를 조사하였다. SD 쥐에게 동물 실험 기간 동안 HFD 또는 10.6% CSB가 함유된 HFD (HFD + CSB)를 제공하였다. CSB의 섭취는 HFD로 유발된 체중과 지방 축적 증가를 현저하게 감소시켰다. 또한, CSB의 섭취는 대장 조직에서 HFD에 의해 감소된 밀착 결합 지표(ZO-1, Claudin-1 및 Occludin-1)의 mRNA 발현을 개선시켰다. 또한, 조직병리학적 평가에서도 CSB 섭취는 대장 조직에서 HFD에 의해 증가된 염증 세포 침윤과 대장 상피 조직 붕괴를 개선하는 것으로 나타났다. Genus 수준에서 HFD 섭취에 의해 Lactobacillus, Duncaniella, Alloprevotella 등 미생물 종의 abundance 차이는 확인되었으나, CSB 섭취로 인한 영향은 명확하게 나타나지 않았다. NMDS 분석에서 HFD 섭취에 의해 유의적인 장내미생물 생태 이동을 보여주었지만 CSB 섭취는 차이가 없었다. HFD와 CSB 간 유의적으로 차이가 나타나는 genera를 조사하기 위해 LEfSe를 수행한 결과, CSB는 Anaerotignum, Enterococcus, Clostridium sensu stricto 및 Escherichia/Shigella 속의 풍부함을 증가시킨 반면 Longicatena 및 Ligilactobacillus의 풍부함을 감소시켰다. 이러한 결과는 CSB 섭취는 긴밀한 접합 성분을 개선하여 HFD로 악화된 대장 건강을 개선하는 반면 장내미생물생태에 긍정적인 효과를 미치는지에 대해서는 명확하지 않았다.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제28권1호
• /
• pp.59-64
• /
• 2018

Listeria monocytogenes can asymptomatically inhabit the human intestine as a commensal bacterium. However, the mechanism by which L. monocytogenes is able to inhabit the intestine without pathogenic symptoms remains unclear. We compared the invasion efficiency of L. monocytogenes strains with the 268- and 385-bp-long actA gene. Clinical strains SMFM-CI-3 and SMFM-CI-6 with 268-bp actA isolated from patients with listeriosis, and strains SMFM-SI-1 and SMFM-SI-2 with the 385-bp gene isolated from carcasses, were used for inoculum preparation. The invasion efficiency of these strains was evaluated using Caco-2 cells (intestinal epithelial cell line), prepared as normal and healthy cells with tightened tight junctions and senescent cells with loose tight junctions that were loosened by adriamycin treatment. The invasion efficiency of L. monocytogenes strains with the 268-bp-long actA gene was 1.1-2.6-times lower than that of the strains with the 385-bp-long gene in normal and healthy cells. However, the invasion efficiency of both types of strains did not differ in senescent cells. Thus, L. monocytogenes strains with the 268-bp-long actA gene can inhabit the intestine asymptomatically as a commensal bacterium, but they may invade the intestinal epithelial cells and cause listeriosis in senescent cells.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• 제27권2호
• /
• pp.222-230
• /
• 2019

Intestinal barrier dysfunction always accompanies cirrhosis in patients with advanced liver disease and is an important contributor facilitating bacterial translocation (BT), which has been involved in the pathogenesis of cirrhosis and its complications. Several studies have demonstrated the protective effect of Vitamin D on intestinal barrier function. However, severe cholestasis leads to vitamin D depletion. This study was designed to test whether vitamin D therapy improves intestinal dysfunction in cirrhosis. Rats were subcutaneously injected with 50% sterile $CCl_4$ (a mixture of pure $CCl_4$ and olive oil, 0.3 mL/100 g) twice a week for 6 weeks. Next, $1,25(OH)_2D_3$ ($0.5{\mu}g/100g$) and the vehicle were administered simultaneously with $CCl_4$ to compare the extent of intestinal histologic damage, tight junction protein expression, intestinal barrier function, BT, intestinal proliferation, apoptosis, and enterocyte turnover. Intestinal heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression and oxidative stress were also assessed. We found that vitamin D could maintain intestinal epithelial proliferation and turnover, inhibit intestinal epithelial apoptosis, alleviate structural damage, and prevent BT and intestinal barrier dysfunction. These were achieved partly through restoration of HO-1 and inhibition of oxidative stress. Taken together, our results suggest that vitamin D ameliorated intestinal epithelial turnover and improved the integrity and function of intestinal barrier in $CCl_4$-induced liver cirrhotic rats. HO-1 signaling activation was involved in these above beneficial effects.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• 제20권2호
• /
• pp.147-152
• /
• 2016

Present study aimed to investigate the effect of curcumin-pretreatment on intestinal I/R injury and on intestinal mucosa barrier. Thirty Wistar rats were randomly divided into: sham, I/R, and curcumin groups (n=10). Animals in curcumin group were pretreated with curcumin by gastric gavage (200 mg/kg) for 2 days before I/R. Small intestine tissues were prepared for Haematoxylin & Eosin (H&E) staining. Serum diamine oxidase (DAO) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$ levels were measured. Expression of intestinal TNF-${\alpha}$ and tight junction protein (ZO-1) proteins was detected by Western blot and/or immunohistochemistry. Serum DAO level and serum and intestinal TNF-${\alpha}$ leves were significantly increased after I/R, and the values were markedly reduced by curcumin pretreatment although still higher than that of sham group (p<0.05 or p<0.001). H&E staining showed the significant injury to intestinal mucosa following I/R, and curcumin pretreatment significantly improved the histological structure of intestinal mucosa. I/R insult also induced significantly down-regulated expression of ZO-1, and the effect was dramatically attenuated by curcumin-pretreatment. Curcumin may protect the intestine from I/R injury through restoration of the epithelial structure, promotion of the recovery of intestinal permeability, as well as enhancement of ZO-1 protein expression, and this effect may be partly attributed to the TNF-${\alpha}$ related pathway.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• 제40권9호
• /
• pp.677-684
• /
• 2017

Postmenopausal atrophic vagina (PAV) is the thinning of the walls of the vagina and decreased lugae of the vagina. PAV is caused by decreased estrogen levels in postmenopausal women. However, the harmful effects of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) have resulted in considerable caution in its use. Various estrogen agonist treatment options are available. Vitamin D is influences the regulation of differentiation and proliferation of various cells, especially tissues lining stratified squamous epithelium, such as the vaginal epithelium. In this study, we hypothesized that vitamin D could provide an alternative and a safe treatment option for PAV by promoting the proliferation and differentiation of the vaginal epithelium. Thirty six patients were enrolled in this case-control study. Vitamin D associated proteins in a vitamin D and sex hormone treated vaginal epithelial cell line as well as normal and PAV tissues were measured. To confirm of cell-to-cell junction protein expression, cell line and tissue studies included RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry staining, and immunoblot analyses. The expression of cell-to-cell junction proteins was higher in women with symptoms of atrophic vagina tissue compared to women without the symptoms. Vitamin D stimulated the proliferation of the vaginal epithelium by activating p-RhoA and Erzin through the vitamin D receptor (VDR). The results suggest that vitamin D positively regulates cell-to-cell junction by increasing the VDR/p-RhoA/p-Ezrin pathway. This is the first study to verify the relationship of the expression of RhoA and Ezrin proteins in vaginal tissue of PAV.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
• /
• 제18권3호
• /
• pp.630-635
• /
• 2009

This study was performed to analyze various antioxidants, to evaluate the antioxidative activities, and to measure the protective effect for gap junction intercellular communication (GJIC) to assess the functional potency of the cherry tomato. The ascorbic acid, lycopene, and ${\beta}-carotene$ were measured at $503.4{\pm}9.6$, $39.7{\pm}1.5$, and $7.4{\pm}0.3$ mg/100 g d.w., and ${\alpha}-$, ${\beta}+{\gamma}-$, ${\delta}-tocopherol$ contents were measured at $8.3{\pm}0.1$, $1.7{\pm}0.0$, and $0.1{\pm}0.0$ mg/100 g d.w., respectively. Cherry tomato extract using hexane/acetone/EtOH (2:1:1, CTE) exhibited a ABTS radical scavenging activity with an $IC_{50}$ value of $48.83{\pm}0.30\;{\mu}g/mL$. The cherry tomato protected against the inhibition of GJIC induced by $H_2O_2$ in WB-F344 rat liver epithelial cells, and the reduction in phosphorylated Cx43 was most clearly correlated with the concentration of CTE. These results demonstrated that the cherry tomato harbors a wealth of potent antioxidants and might be protect human body against the inhibition of the GJIC by toxic components.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• 제50권2호
• /
• pp.205-212
• /
• 2001

연구배경 : 비강 점막을 통한 약물의 이동이나 대사 등은 실험 동물을 이용한 약력학적인 연구가 이루어져 왔으나 사람의 비강 점막 상피세포의 투과에 대한 연구는 없는 실정이다. 따라서 저자 등은 air-liquid interface (ALI) 방법으로 세포를 배양하여 그 미세구조와 in vitro에서 비강점막 상피세포에 대한 mannitol의 투과도를 알아보고자 하였다. 방 법 : 만성 부비동염 환자의 내시경을 이용한 부비동 수술시 정상 하비갑개의 조직을 채취하여 ALI 방법을 이용하여 transwell내에 monolayer로 상피세포를 배양하였으며 blank filter, 배양 5일째 및 7일째에 transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) 값을 측정하고 투과전자현미경을 이용하여 견고연접(tight junction)의 형성을 확인하였다. 배양된 세포의 mannitol의 투과도를 알아보기 위해 12일째에 $^{14}C$가 부착된 mannitol $4{\mu}mol$을 배양액과 함께 투여하고 1시간 동안 10분 간격으로 % leakage를 측정하였다. 결 과 : 사람의 비강 상피세포는 7일 내에 confluent monolayer로 배양되었으며 투과전자현미경상 섬모와 견고 연접의 형성이 잘 관찰되었다. TEER 값은 blank filter는 $108.5\;ohm.cm^2$, 배양 5일째는 $141\;ohm.cm^2$, 배양 7일째는 $177.5\;ohm.cm^2$로 측정되었다. Mono-layer를 통한 $^{14}C$-mannitol의 % leakage는 10분, 20분, 30분, 40분, 50분, 60분에 각각 $35.67{\pm}5.43$, $34.42{\pm}5.60$, $32.75{\pm}5.71$, $31.76{\pm}4.22$, $30.96{\pm}3.49$, $29.60{\pm}3.68%$로 나타났다. 결 론 : ALI 방법으로 배양된 사람의 정상 비강점막 상피세포는 생체와 유사하게 배양되어 세포의 투과도(transcellular permeability) 를 알아보는데 적합하며 in vitro에서 비강점막을 통한 약물의 transport에 대한 연구에 도움이 될 것으로 생각된다.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제26권8호
• /
• pp.1446-1451
• /
• 2016

Clostridium difficile toxin A causes acute gut inflammation in animals and humans. It is known to downregulate the tight junctions between colonic epithelial cells, allowing luminal contents to access body tissues and trigger acute immune responses. However, it is not yet known whether this loss of the barrier function is a critical factor in the progression of toxin A-induced pseudomembranous colitis. We previously showed that NADH:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) KO (knockout) mice spontaneously display weak gut inflammation and a marked loss of colonic epithelial tight junctions. Moreover, NQO1 KO mice exhibited highly increased inflammatory responses compared with NQO1 WT (wild-type) control mice when subjected to DSS-induced experimental colitis. Here, we tested whether toxin A could also trigger more severe inflammatory responses in NQO1 KO mice compared with NQO1 WT mice. Indeed, our results show that C. difficile toxin A-mediated enteritis is significantly enhanced in NQO1 KO mice compared with NQO1 WT mice. The levels of fluid secretion, villus disruption, and epithelial cell apoptosis were also higher in toxin A-treated NQO1 KO mice compared with WT mice. The previous and present results collectively show that NQO1 is involved in the formation of tight junctions in the small intestine, and that defects in NQO1 enhance C. difficile toxin A-induced acute inflammatory responses, presumably via the loss of epithelial cell tight junctions.

• 한국가축번식학회지
• /
• 제17권2호
• /
• pp.121-125
• /
• 1993

Early development of bovine oocytes fertilized in vitro in the medium with caffeine and heparin was examined in different culture systems. When the oocytes were transferred into culture medium 8 h after insemination, 12%(7/60) of penetrated oocytes cleaved to 4-cell stage 24 h after insemination. The proportions of oocytes cleaved to 80to 16-cell stage 48 h after insemination had also a to be higher in oocytes transferred into culture medium 8 h (29%) than 16 h(10%) or 24 h(4%) after insemination. 52% of the 4-cell embryos developed to morula and blastocyst stages when they were co-cultured with oviductal epithelia, whereas only 5% of embryos cultured without the epithelial cells(P<0.001). In another experiment, embryos were co-cultured with ampulla, isthmus or utero-tubal junction of oviducts. There are no significant differences in the proportions of embryos developed to morula and blastocyst stage.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
• /
• 제34권1호
• /
• pp.131-133
• /
• 2007

Purpose: Steatocystoma multiplex is a hamartomatous malformation of the pilosebaceous duct junction. It is not common and inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern. But numerous non-hereditary cases have been reported. The neck is an unusual site in steatocystoma multiplex. Methods: A 23-year-old woman was found to have multiple yellowish papules, which had developed on anterior surface of her neck for 10 years. Results: There was no similar lesions on any other parts of the body. Histopathological examination revealed an intricately folded cyst wall consisting of several epithelial layers and flattened sebaceous gland lobules close to the cyst wall, which were typical of steatocystoma multiplex. Conclusion: We describe an unusual case of steatocystoma multiplex localized on the neck.